[wannabe1]

I'll have some instructions for you by the time you get home. We'll use the file from the laptop.

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Alright, talk to you soon.

It is possible that the version of XP on the laptop is XP Professional, and not XP Home. It's not my laptop, it's one my dad used/uses for work, I forgot about that. If that one, or the one from here, wont work on my PC, then I'll need to find that file some other way.

Edited by bloodydingo, 31 March 2009 - 03:38 PM.

[bloodydingo]

Alright, talk to you soon.

It is possible that the version of XP on the laptop is XP Professional, and not XP Home. It's not my laptop, it's one my dad used/uses for work, I forgot about that. If that one, or the one from here, wont work on my PC, then I'll need to find that file some other way.

Edited by bloodydingo, 31 March 2009 - 03:38 PM.

[wannabe1]

Ok...I've got a fix......I think. It worked on my test box, anyway. The userinit file for home and pro should be the same.

Download RC.ISO and save it somewhere you can find it.

Download MagicISO and install it.

Start MagicISO. When it asks you to register, just close that window...the program should remain open. Click on "File" and then on "Open"...navigate to the RC.ISO file you downloaded, select it, and click "Open".

In the upper right pane, double click on the i386 folder to expand it. In the toolbar menu, click on the "Add File" icon (just under "Total Size: 7M") and navigate to C:\Windows\System32...locate and select userinit.exe...click "Open".

Click "File" on the toolbar and choose "Save As". Name the file RCplus and save it somewhere you can find it.

Put a blank CD-R disk in your CD burner and close the tray...when the AutoPlay window opens, close it.

Click "Tools" on the toolbar and choose "Burn CD/DVD with ISO". In the CD/DVD Image file area, click the little folder, navigate to the newly created RCplus.iso image file, and click "Open". In the CD/DVD Writing Speed drop-down menu, choose the top 8X setting. Format should have "Mode 1" selected...if not, select it. Click on the "Burn It!" button.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Once this disk is burned, put it in the machine you're working on and restart. Boot to the CD just as you did with the OEM disk and enter Recovery Console just as you did before.

At the C:\Windows> prompt, Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one. Again, note the spaces.

d:
cd i386
copy userinit.exe c:\windows\system32
exit

After inputting the third command, you should receive the message "1 file copied"...which will indicate that the operation succeeded.

See if Windows will let you log on.

[bloodydingo]

Ok, I just did what you said.

I can indeed log in, but nothing loaded at all, all I see is my wallpaper, the mouse arrow, and I can bring up the Windows Task Manager, but nothing is on the desktop, not even Start or the toolbar or anything.

[wannabe1]

In Task Manager, click on the "New Task" button, type explorer.exe in the "Open" field, and click Ok.

Does this bring the desktop up?

At least we're making progress...

[bloodydingo]

Nope, it just goes away after I click "ok".

It doesn't do anything when I click "browse" either.

[wannabe1]

Ok...let's start digging.

From the Task Manager "New Task", type regedit in the "Open" field and click "Ok".

In Registry Editor, expand (click +) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SOFTWARE, then Microsoft, then Windows NT, then CurrentVersion, and click on Winlogon. In the right pane, locate and double click on "Shell".

What is the value shown in the Value Data field?

[bloodydingo]

That doesn't bring up regedit either, I can't even get that up to do the other steps.

I'm sure this goes without saying, but yea, explorer.exe isn't included in the process list either.

Edited by bloodydingo, 31 March 2009 - 05:36 PM.

[wannabe1]

I'm starting to think we're looking at an infection, but we've got to get this thing running better before we can clean it up.

In Task Manager, type regedt32.exe and press Enter. Note that this is not a misspelling...it's the advanced registry editor.

Does this open?

[bloodydingo]

Nope, that doesn't open either.

I'm not going to do anything unless you tell me to, but would it not be worth trying the windows reinstall using the gateway windows disc I have again now that I have that other file copied to the PC?

Edited by bloodydingo, 31 March 2009 - 05:45 PM.

[wannabe1]

Boot into the Safe Mode Administrator account. Restart and tap the F8 key as the machine boots...you should get an Advanced Boot Options screen. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode and press Enter.

Do you have a desktop in this account?

Note: Be patient...Safe Mode will take several minutes to load.

[bloodydingo]

Nope, no desktop there either, just a background and like I said last time under the normal account with the arrow, and then able to bring up the task manager.

I tried doing the new task thing to find regedit here also, and that didn't work.

[wannabe1]

In Task Manager New Task, type C:\windows and press Enter.

Does the Windows folder Open?

[bloodydingo]

Nope, that doesn't open up either.

[wannabe1]

This isn't looking good...

In Task Manager New Task, type cmd and press Enter. Does a command session window open?